Photo: Hero
No matter how passionate you are about motorcycles, chances are you don't know who Dr. Brijmohan Lall Munjal is. Because the name is an important one for the purposes of this story, I'll tell you the man was responsible for the birth of one of the largest motorcycle makers on the planet.
The Indian national, born in 1923, is the one responsible for the creation of a bike maker called Hero MotoCorp. Founded in 1984, the company has rapidly grown to become one of the biggest of its kind, taking over the years hold of a huge chunk of the Indian bike market (close to 50 percent) and becoming an important name on several international ones.
Lall Munjal passed away in 2015, and last year should have been the proper time to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the man's birth. But you know what they say, better late then never, so here comes a tribute bike fittingly called The Centennial.
Described as a collector's edition motorcycle, The Centennial was announced by Hero this week just to make us drool over something that we'll never get to experience firsthand. That's because the motorcycle will be produced in a limited run of just 100 units, all of which will be auctioned off to "employees, associates, business partners, and stakeholders."
The ride, designed by teams from India and Germany, is described as a handcrafted marvel of engineering. Given how the model is based on the Hero Karizma, that's kind of debatable, but still a sort of wonder on two wheels.
The bike is a combination of steel (the core of the bike), milled aluminum (several parts, including the swingarm), and carbon fiber (the body panels, mostly). The smaller elements, stuff like the handlebars, mounts, triple clamps, and rear-set foot pegs, have been specifically modified for the anniversary model.
The bike is powered by the same 210cc, liquid-cooled engine that moves the Karizma, but the powerplant has to do that for a machine that this time weighs only 348 pounds (158 kg, curb weight). The engine spins diamond-cut alloy wheels and breathes out of a carbon fiber and titanium exhaust system made by Akrapovic.
The suspension system comprises a 43 mm upside-down fork at the front and a fully adjustable Wilbers mono-shock at the rear. The rider seats on a solo saddle supported by a carbon fiber cowl.
Hero says all the money it will raise from auctioning off the 100 special edition bikes will be used for "the society’s greater good," whatever that means. Those who manage to get their hands on one will have to wait at least until September to get get delivery of their prize.
For the rest of the world, in an effort to mark the anniversary, the company is presently running a campaign that gives 100 customers the chance to win their money back when buying a motorcycle.
Lall Munjal passed away in 2015, and last year should have been the proper time to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the man's birth. But you know what they say, better late then never, so here comes a tribute bike fittingly called The Centennial.
Described as a collector's edition motorcycle, The Centennial was announced by Hero this week just to make us drool over something that we'll never get to experience firsthand. That's because the motorcycle will be produced in a limited run of just 100 units, all of which will be auctioned off to "employees, associates, business partners, and stakeholders."
The ride, designed by teams from India and Germany, is described as a handcrafted marvel of engineering. Given how the model is based on the Hero Karizma, that's kind of debatable, but still a sort of wonder on two wheels.
The bike is a combination of steel (the core of the bike), milled aluminum (several parts, including the swingarm), and carbon fiber (the body panels, mostly). The smaller elements, stuff like the handlebars, mounts, triple clamps, and rear-set foot pegs, have been specifically modified for the anniversary model.
The bike is powered by the same 210cc, liquid-cooled engine that moves the Karizma, but the powerplant has to do that for a machine that this time weighs only 348 pounds (158 kg, curb weight). The engine spins diamond-cut alloy wheels and breathes out of a carbon fiber and titanium exhaust system made by Akrapovic.
The suspension system comprises a 43 mm upside-down fork at the front and a fully adjustable Wilbers mono-shock at the rear. The rider seats on a solo saddle supported by a carbon fiber cowl.
Hero says all the money it will raise from auctioning off the 100 special edition bikes will be used for "the society’s greater good," whatever that means. Those who manage to get their hands on one will have to wait at least until September to get get delivery of their prize.
For the rest of the world, in an effort to mark the anniversary, the company is presently running a campaign that gives 100 customers the chance to win their money back when buying a motorcycle.
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